Curses, Sins, and Broken Vows
by Celestia0909
Summary: A mortal Princess, a vengeful Goddess, and a confused God's fates intertwine as Cupid sets out on a mission. What does it take to make a Goddess? [Rated M for sexual references]


**Curses, Sins, and Broken Vows**

Our story begins a thousand years ago in the golden palace of the Gods, Olympus. In the gardens, Aphrodite walks along the shimmering lake with her eldest son, Cupid - though, he prefers to go by the name of Sirius to spite his father Ares, who had named him.

She has received terrible news and is plotting to take vengeance on a mortal princess, daughter of the King of Athens.

* * *

"It is said that she is the most beautiful woman in the world," Aphrodite seethes as she hooks her arm with her son's. "The mortals say her eyes are as blue as the Circassian Sea, and her hair is the colour of the night sky. They believe this mortal's beauty surpasses even mine."

"It cannot be."

"They say it is." Sirius looked at his mother and frowned upon seeing the expression on her face. Of all the gods in Olympus and the mortals on Earth, his mother has always been the most beautiful of all. "You must avenge me, _agori mou_."

The mother and son stopped at the gate that opened into the mortal world. Aphrodite placed her hands over her sons', eyes full of desperation. Sirius had never seen his mother like this. Reluctantly, he nodded; though he had a feeling he would regret it later.

"She is the youngest of her sisters and is yet to be wed. Fly down and strike her with this arrow, it will curse her to marry only men who are vile in looks and character. She and her daughters will live in misery, forever doomed to love men who are lacking. I curse her to lose her beauty at the hands of her husband, never again will anybody think she is more beautiful than I."

"As you wish, Mother."

As he passed the gates and flew down to Athens, Sirius couldn't help but think his Mother fickle. She was always quick to take offence, and had naught a forgiving heart; somehow, he was always caught in her vengeful plots.

* * *

The wind was strong as Sirius struggled to make the journey to Athens in the hurricane like winds.

Above him, thunder and lightning rumbled and flashed, no doubt Zeus and Hera were having yet another row. He couldn't blame them, Zeus was a notorious philanderer, and Hera was forever destined to play the role of a woman scorned. And as his uncle Hades always said, Hell hath no fury as that of a woman scorned.

As suddenly as the storm began, it ended and the skies cleared. The lower he flew, the stronger the stench of animals and humans became. He always hated getting too close to the humans, they were filthy.

On the edge of the Aegean Sea, was the palace of the King of Athens. The building was sculpted of sandstone and encased in white marble, making it seem like a beacon of light amongst the brown stucco fronted buildings in the city.

"_She slumbers in the eastern tower_." Aphrodite's voice whispered in his ear. He was sure that she was watching from above, and he grew irritated at the thought. "_Remember the arrow, strike her heart and curse her."_

Sirius groaned as he landed on the battlements of the eastern tower. Underneath, the youngest Princess of Athens slept, and his mind focussed on the dreams she had while she slept. She dreamt of marriage and children, and seemed to be enamoured with the Trojan Prince, Hector; she wished to marry him. Sirius scoffed,, so fickle were the desires and wants of a mortal woman.

He reached behind him to pick out the arrow his mother had enchanted, but hissed as his finger pricked one. Drawing his hand back, he quickly waved his hand over the injured finger, any traces of his silver blood disappearing. With the right arrow in his hand, and his bow in the other, Sirius flew down to the open window and snuck into the Princess' bedroom.

The dim light of the moon cast across her face and Sirius surveyed her face. He understood why many mortals called her the most beautiful woman in the world, he even believed her to be more beautiful than his mother.

"The Princess of Athens," he whispered as he stepped closer.

She was exactly as his mother had described; hair as dark as the heavens, skin that was kissed by the sun, and as her eyes opened, they were bluer than the Circassian Sea. She looked ready to scream upon seeing him, but Sirius waved his hand and her eyes shut.

On the day his mother and Zeus had gifted him his arrow and bow, he had been sworn to abide by one rule: never to fall in love. As the God of Desire, it was his role to aim the arrows of love and apathy at unsuspecting mortals and Gods. If he ever fell in love, he would be too blinded to fulfil the half of his role that forced him to make people fall out of love.

And yet, as he looked upon the sleeping Princess, he couldn't carry out the deed his mother had asked of him. He made the arrow dissolve in his hands and instead brought out a vial of shimmery water from the fountain of Aphrodite. Sirius uncorked it and poured the water over the Princess, watching as it turned to dust upon touching her skin.

As he flew away, back to Olympus, Sirius couldn't help but puzzle over the odd feeling that bubbled inside his body. It was impossible; yet he was familiar enough with the effects of his arrows to know that what he felt for the Princess was love and desire. One tiny prick of the finger was all it had taken; and he knew that from now until the rest of his days, he would belong to her.

Zeus help him, this would not end well.

* * *

The Princess of Athens breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the temple. She had spent days searching for the Temple of the Delphi Oracle, and had all but given up before a shepherd showed her the way.

"Oracle?" A strong breeze brushed past her and before Marlene could compose herself, a hunched figure covered in billowing robes appeared in front of her. "Are you the Oracle of Delphi?"

It said nothing.

"I was told that the Oracle of Delphi lives here, and that she knows the secrets of the Gods."

The figure straightened up, and underneath the ivory robes, Marlene caught sight of a beautiful woman with features she had never seen before. Her hair seemed to be the colour of blood, eyes the colour of molten gold, and skin as dark as soil.

"I know why you have come to the Temple of Delphi. You seek an answer for your not being wed." Marlene nodded. "Mark my words, Princess of Athens, you have angered the gods, and such a sin cannot go unpunished. You are cursed never to feel the love of a kind mortal man, and there is a grave price you have yet to pay to appease the gods."

Dread filled Marlene's stomach at the Oracle's words, but so strong was her desire for love that she urged the Oracle to divulge what she knew.

"As I have said, the price is steep and you may never return to your beloved city of Athens. Seek out the mountain they call Olympus and scale its peak. There you will receive your heart's desire and be married to one who neither gods nor mortals can resist. Be warned, you will give and receive the love you so crave, but you shall never set eyes on your husband, lest you wish to be separated from your beloved. Heed these words, Princess of Athens: never look upon his face or suffer a curse worse than one you have been given."

Marlene opened her mouth to ask a question, her mind abuzz with thousands, but before she could utter even one, the Oracle vanished in front of her.

* * *

Marlene sighs as the first golden rays of sun stream through the windows of her and her beloved's chambers. Her hand reaches out to the empty side of the bed, and her heart drops upon realising that her husband has once again left before she could wake.

She cannot remember how long it's been since she scaled Mount Olympus and finally married her husband, but there are some days when she wishes that the circumstances were different.

Every morning is the same in that she wakes in a large bed by herself; her mysterious husband nowhere to be found, save for a small parchment with a note on his pillow. Her days are spent walking the gardens of her husband's palace, playing her harp, painting and sculpting. Her favourite part of the day is when the sun sets and her husband returns, a mask and large hood covering his face, save for his eyes; silver like the goblets she drank from.

Long has she wished she could see her husband in his entirety, but even when they make love, she can see nothing of him, and only feels his skin on hers. Of course, despite never seeing him fully, she loves him with her whole heart and soul. After all he has allowed her to enjoy the house and gardens as her own, to write and communicate with the family she had left behind, and let her explore the mountain on which their home was situated.

He had never once raised a hand to her, never said anything to spite her, and was always gentle with her. She knew he wasn't a human, and her curious mind sometimes wandered to what kind of creature he could be.

Though, her sister's words plagued her as she rolled out of the bed and began her day. Her eldest sister, Dorcas, had speculated that Marlene's husband was the serpent their wet nurse had warned them of as children. As quickly as Dorcas had suggested it, Marlene had dismissed it, though her mind continued to entertain the idea of peeking upon his body while he slept.

The day passed by in a blur, and before she knew it, the sun had set and her husband had come to spend the evening with her in their bed. Even as he thrusted into her, her mind was elsewhere as she thought of the candle she had hidden underneath her pillow.

"Is something on your mind, _latria mou_," her husband sighed as he pulled out of her and lay behind her, his arm strong against her waist. "You seem far away from me."

"Do not worry Sirius, the sun was especially hot today and I've felt languid ever since I walked the gardens."

He hummed against her, his chest vibrating as his lips touched her neck. Slowly, she could feel his body loosening behind her, his breathing slowing as he fell asleep. Whilst he slept, her mind raced as she considered whether she should do what her sister had suggested. Though, if she was truly honest with herself, her mind had been made since she had placed the candle underneath her pillow that morning.

As softly as she could, Marlene slid out of her Sirius' arms and took the candle out. She had placed a fire lighter under the bed, and with one quick flick of her wrist, the candle was lit. With shaky hands, Marlene slowly brought the candle towards her husband, and she gasped at the sight of him.

She had been expecting a hideous monster, a sort of hybrid between a serpent and a man that her wet nurse had described to her long ago. Instead, a man more beautiful than anyone or anything she had ever seen lay in front of her.

His hair was long and fell in dark black ringlets. His face and body looked as if it had been chiselled by Aphrodite herself and long dark lashes fanned across his high, angular cheeks. There was no trace of softness on his body, even his chest seemed to be made of marble.

Marlene caught sight of something white and feathery behind him, and her heart skipped a beat as she realised two large white wings seemingly folded against his back as he slept. She had no idea what he was, but she was sure that he was the single most beautiful man she had ever seen; and something in the deepest corners of her mind told her that she had seen him somewhere before.

Before she could ponder on it too much, Marlene hissed as a droplet of wax dripped down her thumb and she watched helplessly as it dropped onto her husband's outstretched arm. Everything that transpired afterwards, happened so quickly that Marlene could only make sense of it the day after.

Once the drop of wax had burned her husband's skin, he'd woken up. It had taken him all of two seconds to figure out what she had done, and had flown out of their window in a rage, telling her that she had betrayed him and the trust they had built. The last sight she'd seen of him was his bright white wings disappearing into the midnight sky.

* * *

"Foolish girl, she truly believes she can complete these tasks." Aphrodite laughs as she looks into the orb. "Though, I believe she will have difficulty completing the final one. Mark my words _agori mou_, she _will_ open that box. And only then will you be free. Doomed to mourn her for eternity."

"What have you done?" Sirius asked as he struggled against the chains that held him. "Zeus help me, I _will_ seek vengeance on you if she is harmed."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes at her treacherous son, "You forget that it was Zeus himself who chained you. Have you forgotten the vow you made to him and me when you received your gifts? You were forbidden from falling in love, and yet you did. On a mortal girl who spurned me nonetheless."

"Don't be so melodramatic mother." Sirius struggled against the chains, but the harder he pulled on them, the tighter they clamped around his wrist. "The whispers were true, she _is_ more beautiful than you."

Before Sirius could brace himself, his mother's hand slapped against his cheek with a force stronger than a mortal woman, "Your father will hear about this."

He scoffed, "I'm not afraid of him. He can wage war with me all he wants, it won't change anything. You're a spiteful hag, mother, and when I'm free I won't be a part of your silly little games on the mortals."

His mother said nothing in response, and instead watched the orb on the table in front of her, eyes focussed on Marlene as she held a box and walked into the Underworld. It had been months since he had seen her, and with each day that had passed he felt more and more like a fool for being so hasty and running away.

She had only been curious to see who she was married to, had he been in her position he would have done the same thing. It was foolish to ever think she would honour the rule, after all he hadn't obeyed Zeus' vow of never falling in love.

"Her resolve is weakening," Aphrodite whispered, vengeful excitement clouding her eyes as Marlene stopped at the stairs of Hades' palace.

Sirius couldn't do anything but watch as Marlene caressed the gilded box with her fingers. Her thumb toyed with the lock, rubbing back and forth across it as Sirius' body began to feel heavy and defeated. The chains, which had felt weightless to him suddenly weighed like Atlas' boulder.

"No," he groaned as Marlene opened the box and immediately collapsed to the ground.

Aphrodite turned away from the orb and towards her son, a triumphant look on her face. She waved her hand and the chains unfastened themselves from Sirius wrists.

He didn't wait for his mother to say anything, the only thing on his mind as he beat his wings fast and hard towards the Underworld was whether he would be able to save Marlene with Ambrosia before Hades took her soul.

* * *

Our story ends as it began, with Sirius - or Cupid as the mortals know him - walking the gardens with his mother, Aphrodite. A thousand years have passed since the events of Marlene's Odyssey occurred, and Sirius smiles as he watches the two goddesses walking hand-in-hand in front of him.

"Even a millenia more of apologies won't reverse the guilt I have for what I did all those years ago." Aphrodite whispered as she hooked her arm tightly around Sirius' and kissed his cheek. "I'm a fickle creature _agori mou_, you were always right about that."

"I can't say I'm any better mother, but just so you know, we do accept your apology."

His mother hummed, seemingly unconvinced, but Sirius didn't dwell on that as his wife stopped ahead of him and rolled her eyes.

"_Grigorótera_ aga_pi mou_, the birthday girl is late for her own party!"

Sirius only laughed and waved Marlene and his daughter, Voluptas off; a thousand more years could pass and the love he felt for his wife would only ever grow stronger.

Some days he wondered what his life would be like if he hadn't been sent to curse Marlene, but he didn't like to dwell on it. It had taken him a thousand years to forgive his mother, but in an odd and dysfunctional sort of way he was thankful for her fickle nature. Especially because she had brought him to his soulmate, Marlene, or as the mortals now knew her: Psyche, Goddess of the Soul, Spirit and Compassion.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hogwarts Competition**

**House: Gryffindor**

**Subject & Task: Necromancy, Task 2 → Write a God/Goddess AU!**

**Word Count: 2965**


End file.
